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Lambda Labs vs Milvus

Lambda Labs logo

Lambda Labs

AI

GPU cloud for deep learning

From
$1.1/per-hour
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Milvus logo

Milvus

Machine Learning

Open-source vector database for scalable similarity search

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Milvus has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Lambda Labs on demand capacity is first come access rather than guaranteed, so an instance type can be unavailable when needed; Milvus vector dimensions are capped at 32,768
  • They diverge on capability: Lambda Labs covers NVIDIA GPUs, Milvus covers Billion-scale vectors.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Lambda Labs and Milvus actually diverge.

Attributes where Lambda Labs and Milvus differ
AttributeLambda LabsMilvus
Starting price$1.1/per-hourFree
Pricing modelusage-basedfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsCloudLinux, Mac, Windows, Web
CategoryAIMachine Learning
Founded20122017

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Lambda Labs

  • NVIDIA GPUs
  • Pre-installed frameworks
  • Persistent storage
  • SSH access
  • JupyterLab
  • VSCode
  • SSH
  • Cloud support

Only in Milvus

  • Billion-scale vectors
  • Multiple index types
  • GPU acceleration
  • Hybrid search
  • Data partitioning
  • PyTorch
  • TensorFlow
  • Hugging Face

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Lambda Labs

  • Renting GPU instances for model training and inferencenot Milvus
  • Short term access to high memory accelerators without buying hardwarenot Milvus

Milvus

  • Self hosting a vector database for semantic searchnot Lambda Labs
  • Storing and querying embeddings for retrieval augmented generationnot Lambda Labs
  • Similarity search over images, audio or text at scalenot Lambda Labs

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Lambda Labs

  • On demand capacity is first come access rather than guaranteed, so an instance type can be unavailable when needed
  • H100 pricing varies within a band, at $3.99 to $4.29 an hour per GPU, so the rate is not fixed
  • Reserved capacity is arranged by contacting the team rather than self serve
  • Prices are quoted before applicable tax

Milvus

  • Vector dimensions are capped at 32,768
  • A collection is limited to 64 fields, 1,024 partitions and 16 shards
  • Only 1 index is allowed per field
  • Search returns at most 16,384 vectors as top-k, and nq is capped at 16,384
  • Input and output per RPC is capped at 64 MB for insert, search and query
  • VARCHAR values are limited to 65,535 characters
  • Data loaded into query nodes cannot exceed 90% of available memory
  • An instance supports at most 65,536 collections

Pricing, plan by plan

Lambda Labs

$1.1/per-hour
  • On-Demand$1.1/per-hour
    • A10 GPU
    • Instant availability
  • ReservedFree
    • Volume discounts
    • Guaranteed capacity

Milvus

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Full features
    • Self-hosted
    • Community support
  • Zilliz CloudFree
    • Managed service
    • Free tier available

Which should you pick?

Choose Lambda Labs if

  • You need nvidia gpus.
  • You work on Cloud.
  • You also want pre-installed frameworks.
Lambda Labs review

Choose Milvus if

  • You need billion-scale vectors.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Mac, Windows, Web.
  • You also want multiple index types.
Milvus review

Questions people ask

Is Lambda Labs or Milvus better?
Neither clearly leads. Lambda Labs starts at $1.1/per-hour and Milvus at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Lambda Labs or Milvus?
Milvus has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $1.1/per-hour for Lambda Labs and Free for Milvus.
Does Lambda Labs or Milvus run on more platforms?
Lambda Labs runs on Cloud. Milvus runs on Linux, Mac, Windows, Web.
Can I use Milvus for free?
Yes. Milvus has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Lambda Labs starts at $1.1/per-hour.
What is Lambda Labs best used for?
Lambda Labs is most often used for renting gpu instances for model training and inference, short term access to high memory accelerators without buying hardware. Of those, renting gpu instances for model training and inference and short term access to high memory accelerators without buying hardware are not what Milvus is typically brought in for.
What can Lambda Labs do that Milvus cannot?
Lambda Labs covers NVIDIA GPUs, Pre-installed frameworks, Persistent storage, SSH access. Milvus covers Billion-scale vectors, Multiple index types, GPU acceleration, Hybrid search.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Lambda Labs: What does Lambda Labs GPU pricing depend on?

Lambda Labs pricing depends on the GPU model (H100, B200, A100, V100, etc.), cluster size, and contract length. For example, a 16-GPU H100 cluster costs $6.16/GPU/hour for 2 weeks to 1 year, while A100 GPUs are $1.99-$2.79/GPU/hour.

Source
Milvus: How much does Milvus cost?

Milvus is open-source and free to use and modify. The self-hosted version has no licensing cost. Zilliz Cloud (the managed SaaS version) does not publish pricing on the website.

Source
Lambda Labs: Are there volume discounts for larger GPU clusters?

Yes. Pricing decreases with larger cluster orders. For example, NVIDIA H100 clusters cost $6.16/GPU/hour for 16 GPUs, $5.85/GPU/hour for 64 GPUs, and $5.54/GPU/hour for 256 GPUs (all for 2 weeks to 1 year terms).

Source
Milvus: Is there a free or open-source version of Milvus?

Yes, Milvus is fully open-source and available for free. Milvus Lite is a lightweight option for learning and prototyping that can be installed via pip.

Source
Lambda Labs: Can I get custom pricing for a long-term GPU contract?

Yes. For cluster orders of 16+ GPUs with 1-year or longer contracts, Lambda Labs offers custom pricing. Contact their sales team to request a quote.

Source
Milvus: Does Milvus offer a managed cloud service?

Yes, Zilliz Cloud is a fully managed Milvus cloud offering with serverless and dedicated cluster options. Pricing must be requested from the company as it is not listed on the public website.

Source
Lambda Labs: What additional costs should I expect beyond the hourly GPU rate?

All listed prices are plus applicable sales tax, VAT, or GST depending on your location.

Source
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